Week In Review — May 23

The Week In Review provides an overview of the past week's top healthcare content, including industry news and trends, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical Laboratories news and upcoming events.

Poorer health of surgery patients on Medicaid may alter law’s bottom line

Surgery patients covered by Medicaid arrive at the hospital in worse health, experience more complications, stay longer and cost more than patients with private insurance, a new study has found. The study, by researchers at the University of Michigan, may offer a preview of what to expect as millions of uninsured people qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Via NY Times.

Pancreatic cancer will be 2nd deadliest by 2030: Study

Pancreatic cancer is set to become the second deadliest cancer in the United States by 2030, new research predicts. If the projections hold, pancreatic cancer will bypass breast, prostate and colorectal cancers, ending up second only to lung cancer as the nation's deadliest cancer. Via CBS News.

Minnesota bans antibacterial Triclosan

The ban on the ingredient, which has been linked to hormone disruption in animal studies, will take effect in 2017. Minnesota is banning the germ killer triclosan, which is found in many soaps and body washes. Governor Mark Dayton signed the bill on Friday, but the ban won’t take effect until January 2017. Via TIME.

Record Lyme cases in 2013

As Minnesotans rush gleefully outdoors for the first sustained week of warm, sunny weather, state health officials are warning that ticks probably have the same idea. A record number of tick-borne cases of Lyme disease in 2013 suggests that people should take precautions while camping or hiking out in the state’s woods and meadows this spring, said Dave Neitzel, a tick-borne disease specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health. Via Star Tribune.

Study: Bacteria live even in healthy placentas

Surprising new research shows a small but diverse community of bacteria lives in the placentas of healthy pregnant women, overturning the belief that fetuses grow in a pretty sterile environment. These are mostly varieties of "good germs" that live in everybody. But Wednesday's study also hints that the make-up of this microbial colony plays a role in premature birth. Via AP.

Measles vaccine cures woman Of cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers have wiped out a 49-year-old Minnesota woman’s blood cancer with a radical new virus-based treatment that involved injecting her with “the highest possible dose” of a measles vaccine, suggesting virotherapy could treat some cancers. Via TIME.

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sarah P. Psutka, MD, Fellow in Urologic Oncology, Mayo Clinic, MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of each study? Dr. Psutka: In this study, we analyzed 1335 patients who underwent radical cystectomy at the Mayo clinic between 1996 and 2006. Via MedicalResearch.com

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an enzyme they say is tightly linked to how aggressive pancreatic cancer will be in a patient… "The implication from our research is that Rac1b is activating unique pathways in pancreatic tumors that make this cancer aggressive. If we can therapeutically target that pathway, we may be able to have an impact on this very difficult-to-treat disease," says the study's senior investigator, Derek Radisky, Ph.D., a researcher with the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Via Innovations Report

Mayo Clinic to play role in 2018 Super Bowl

Minnesota's successful bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl included a commitment from Mayo Clinic to share its expertise on sports medicine and injury prevention at the event. Dr. Patricia Simmons, an executive at Mayo Clinic, said Twin Cities business leaders first approached the clinic a couple of months ago to see if Mayo would want to be involved in Super Bowl-related activities, should Minnesota win the bidding.Via Post-Bulletin.

N-of-One Inks Mayo Clinic MDx Alliance

N-of-One said today that it has signed an agreement to provide clinical interpretation support for the Mayo Clinic's molecular diagnostics testing. N-of-One said that it will assist Mayo Medical Laboratories, a reference lab within Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, with biological and clinical knowledge and in identifying therapeutic options and potential clinical trials for patients who have their tumors sequenced. The Lexington, Mass.-based bioinformatics firm also will provide support services for Mayo's Center for Individualized Medicine. Via Genome Web

Dr. Jan Stepanek & Dr. Abba Zubair: Out Of This World!

Kelley Schreiber

Kelley Schreiber is a Marketing Channel Manager at Mayo Medical Laboratories. She is the principle editor and writer of Insights and leads social media and direct marketing strategy. Kelley has worked at Mayo Clinic since 2013. Outside of work, you can find Kelley running, traveling, playing with her new kitten, and exploring new foods.